Heard some one say:
"If you're focused on doing things for others and making this world a better place in which to live, then you are doing great and living up to your potential.... otherwise you're just a knucklehead."
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Father and Son, Dynamic Duo
Here's another clip from YouTube that was noted on the Chivalry-Now Forum:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&feature=channel
Monday, June 14, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A Quote to Remember
| The following is from Grail Knight of the forum Chivalry-Now: | |
| My Fellow Knights & Quest Companions, Many years ago now, when I was preparing for Knighthood, my mentor gave me this very important bit of advice: ......."When it comes to the 'Code of Chivalry,' it is all very well to discuss it, pray about it, debate it, or philosophize about it. However, until it is put into action (Deeds,) it remains nothing but a lot of high sounding but useless words. For Knighthood & Chivalry to have any meaning in the modern-world, our lofty ideals must be founded on 'Knightly & Chivalric Deeds.' For us Knights of Columbus, that means feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, take care of the sick. It means to defend, protect and support those who are in need, to the best of our ability. If we do not do these things, then our Knighthood is an empty and meaningless sham and our Code of Chivalry is just a 'Dusty, Rusty Relic' from a bygone age, which will be swept away into Eternity, to be forgotten." My "Knightly Mentor," who has been gone for some years now, gave me a lot to think about, when it came to my vocation of Knighthood. If I could pass on any advice to my Brothers & Sisters of The Quest, it would be this: "Just Do It!" Yes, by all means, we should teach Chivalry by our words - but more importantly, "By our Deeds!" St. Francis of Assisi, one of the great Saints in the Roman Catholic Church, once said this, "Yes, by all means, preach the Gospel.....and if you have to, use words." Arete' _________________ The Quest for The Holy Grail was never meant to be achieved, It was meant to be lived - now, today and forever. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * | |
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
I'm Healed.
The hematoma in my left forearm was weird.. No bump or other trauma caused it. It just happened. The cure required opening up my forearm with two long incisions, scraping the corrupted and coagulated blood near the bone, then running a drain tube in one side, under the muscles, and out the other side. After a week of that in place, and a regimen of antibiotics, the tissue had closed enough to remove the drain tube. Another week and the wounds have almost completely closed up. I'll be left with a Nasty looking scar but my arm is as agile and strong as ever, so I'm grateful.
It all makes me conscious of my own mortality. Like, ..... I'm dying. Think about it. If I live to the ripe old age of 80, that means, since I am now 65, that I have 15 years left. ... But look again. ... 365 times 15 is 5475 days.
Look at that finite number.
Calculate your own days.
A young person of, say 20, has 60 years to age 80. But his days are 21,900. ... still a finite number.
What will we do with the days we have left to us?
Will we find faith in the earth? Or will we see a great falling away first? I don't know. I plan to trek across America in search of it in those I meet along the way. Lord willing, and I live long enough to do so, I will seek knights and Lords and invite them to the round table of Chivalry-Now. And my gentle mission among them is to bring to those who can receive it, the Word of Love, and the concept of the Holy CAPS (Character, Attitude, Personality, Spirit)
It all makes me conscious of my own mortality. Like, ..... I'm dying. Think about it. If I live to the ripe old age of 80, that means, since I am now 65, that I have 15 years left. ... But look again. ... 365 times 15 is 5475 days.
Look at that finite number.
Calculate your own days.
A young person of, say 20, has 60 years to age 80. But his days are 21,900. ... still a finite number.
What will we do with the days we have left to us?
Will we find faith in the earth? Or will we see a great falling away first? I don't know. I plan to trek across America in search of it in those I meet along the way. Lord willing, and I live long enough to do so, I will seek knights and Lords and invite them to the round table of Chivalry-Now. And my gentle mission among them is to bring to those who can receive it, the Word of Love, and the concept of the Holy CAPS (Character, Attitude, Personality, Spirit)
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Book ... "Chivalry-Now" by Dean Jacques
I've never written a book review before but since I just read Chivalry-Now by Dean Jacques I'll try to relate what I just read:
Chivalry-Now is an expounding of the principles of Chivalry as stated in the 12 Trusts. (which see). Each of the Trusts are facets of the heart of a knight and each aspect is thoroughly explained and made fully understandable. It is by internalizing these 12 Trusts in our lives that men and women will attain to full maturity of authentic adulthood. And it is by internalizing these Trust that we make them our own.
The author suggests, and I agree, that the challenge we face is nothing less than the transformation of our sick society by the transformation of one person at a time. And the reader is urged to be a part of the solution by living their lives according to the Chivalric Ideals.
By living our lives according to these ideals we attain the authenticity of true manhood we have sought in our lives.
I recommend this book to all who would aspire to True Manhood and the Chivalric Way of Knighthood.
D. Joseph Jacques, O-Books, Ropley, 2010, 194 pages, £11.99 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-84694-284-6
Chivalry-Now is an expounding of the principles of Chivalry as stated in the 12 Trusts. (which see). Each of the Trusts are facets of the heart of a knight and each aspect is thoroughly explained and made fully understandable. It is by internalizing these 12 Trusts in our lives that men and women will attain to full maturity of authentic adulthood. And it is by internalizing these Trust that we make them our own.
The author suggests, and I agree, that the challenge we face is nothing less than the transformation of our sick society by the transformation of one person at a time. And the reader is urged to be a part of the solution by living their lives according to the Chivalric Ideals.
By living our lives according to these ideals we attain the authenticity of true manhood we have sought in our lives.
I recommend this book to all who would aspire to True Manhood and the Chivalric Way of Knighthood.
D. Joseph Jacques, O-Books, Ropley, 2010, 194 pages, £11.99 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-84694-284-6
Friday, May 21, 2010
Freedom Through Faith
Here is an excerpt from Newt Gingrich' Newsletter (April 7, 2010 vol. 5, no. 14):
When Soviet dictator Josef Stalin famously asked "How many divisions has the Pope," he was of course referring to the fact that the head of the Roman Catholic Church commanded no armed forces and therefore could pose no challenge to the military power wielded by the Soviet Union.
But what Stalin did not anticipate was the election of a Polish Pope who would be in a position to go to the heart of Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and provide his countrymen with unbounded hope and inspiration from the simple reminder, repeated everywhere, that God was sovereign, not the state.
George Weigel, biographer of John Paul II, describes it best: "During the Nine Days of June 1979, John Paul II gave back to his people their history, their culture, and their identity. In doing so, he gave Poles spiritual tools of resistance that Communism could not match." ... ... ...We learned about the significance of John Paul II's 1979 pilgrimage during a trip to Europe in 2008 when we were conducting interviews for our documentary, Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny. We traveled to Gdansk, Poland, to interview President Lech Walesa, and then to Prague to visit with President Vaclav Havel.
In both interviews, we asked about Pope John Paul II's role in bringing about the end of Communism. Both Presidents described the Holy Father's role as critical and agreed that his 1979 Pilgrimage to Poland was a decisive turning point in undermining Communism.
The more we learned about this historic nine-day pilgrimage, the more we realized that this was not just an incredible chapter of history; it was an extraordinary moment of human liberation, achieved through Pope John Paul II's worldwide message of freedom through faith.
When Soviet dictator Josef Stalin famously asked "How many divisions has the Pope," he was of course referring to the fact that the head of the Roman Catholic Church commanded no armed forces and therefore could pose no challenge to the military power wielded by the Soviet Union.
But what Stalin did not anticipate was the election of a Polish Pope who would be in a position to go to the heart of Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and provide his countrymen with unbounded hope and inspiration from the simple reminder, repeated everywhere, that God was sovereign, not the state.
George Weigel, biographer of John Paul II, describes it best: "During the Nine Days of June 1979, John Paul II gave back to his people their history, their culture, and their identity. In doing so, he gave Poles spiritual tools of resistance that Communism could not match." ... ... ...We learned about the significance of John Paul II's 1979 pilgrimage during a trip to Europe in 2008 when we were conducting interviews for our documentary, Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny. We traveled to Gdansk, Poland, to interview President Lech Walesa, and then to Prague to visit with President Vaclav Havel.
In both interviews, we asked about Pope John Paul II's role in bringing about the end of Communism. Both Presidents described the Holy Father's role as critical and agreed that his 1979 Pilgrimage to Poland was a decisive turning point in undermining Communism.
The more we learned about this historic nine-day pilgrimage, the more we realized that this was not just an incredible chapter of history; it was an extraordinary moment of human liberation, achieved through Pope John Paul II's worldwide message of freedom through faith.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Oops
I've deleted the post for this day because the youtube link wasn't what I wanted. Sorry about that.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
My Motto
This I know:
I exist. I think, therefore I am.
My being, like all men and women, consists of a physical body, including a brain composed of grey matter, and a self aware mind, which seems to have a Character, Attitude, Personality, Spirit. … Physical, Mental, and Spiritual are we.
And in my 65 years of life and 40 years of intensive searching and studying and learning, I have found a Key that has unlocked the mysteries we all long to look into and understand. The Key has become, for me, the key to self improvement and empowerment. It has given me the skill of a source-ist, the sight of a Seer, and the Power of a Prophet. And if you can receive it, the Key has opened the door to the next plane of existence, the place where the Creator intended for us in this life. This is a confession, not a boast.
This has set me apart from the majority who do not know of this Key to Life. It places me on a solitary path that occasionally brings me into contact with like minded individuals.
So close to it are so many, yet the key is rejected by most of them because they usually only hear a distorted blathering when the key gets mentioned in a “religious” context. No wonder, really. The Key will kill you. Not physically, of course, but literally and spiritually. And no one wants to die. On the contrary we usually go kicking and screaming and clinging to life to the last.
But at the same time, once so slain, the Key will lift you up to a new life, and a new plane of existence where all of man’s problems become clear and the answers to it all are obvious to you.
And the Key is so simple and yet so profound:
Love is all Give. … Lust is all Get.
(Please do not confuse this definition with what people usually refer to as love. The desire to get love is not love itself. What is usually referred to in romantic writings and portrayals as love falls far short of this definition and is really desire which is self wanting to fill the hole within.
Love is an outgoing concern for the welfare of others.
Lust is an inward concern for wants of self.
Love is like a cornucopia of all good gifts.
Lust is like an all consuming vortex.
The Spirit, Attitude, Character, and Personality that is defined by the word Love has life in abundance.
The spirit, attitude, character and personality defined by the word Lust, is a most miserable creature due to the world it creates for itself.
Therefore I, in truth, worship Love. I emulate Love. I want to be Love. My God is Love.
You can’t make a religion of that. Man’s religions are mostly just group control mechanisms anyway.
True religion is the Chivalric Way of going to the aid of orphans and widows. Seeing right done to the downtrodden and needy. Ridding them out of the hand of the wicked.
Love speaks to every problem man faces and shows the way to solution.
Marriage between a man and a woman becomes a 100/100 proposition wherein each is only concerned with giving 100% to the other.
In a 50/50 relationship each is actually more concerned with getting their full share from the other and less concerned in giving their reluctant half.
All good springs from Love.
All evil stems from the way of Lust.
This definition of Love is a flashlight that reveals the motives of men.
A word spoken by Love is like the word of the Prophet with the power to crush like a hammer and strike like lightning or lift up like the hands of angels and protect like their covering wings. How is this so? It is so because Love seeks out the true best interests of all involved. Love looks into the spirit and sees and recognizes the cause of evil and with knowledge speaks a very pointed word of wisdom or speaks even louder with actions to remedy the cause and counteract the evil exposed.
The evil must not be allowed to live. It must be stoned to death. You must not allow evil to exist in your midst. … To the natural mind this means picking up rocks and throwing them at someone accused of evil in order to slaughter them body and soul. Love’s correct interpretation is to cast precious stones that are gems of wisdom that apply to the matter at hand until the person is slain in their spirit, and broken hearted and ready for the newness of the Way of Love.
Love is a sword in the hand of a true knight.
For this reason my motto is ever … “Love is all Give.”
I exist. I think, therefore I am.
My being, like all men and women, consists of a physical body, including a brain composed of grey matter, and a self aware mind, which seems to have a Character, Attitude, Personality, Spirit. … Physical, Mental, and Spiritual are we.
And in my 65 years of life and 40 years of intensive searching and studying and learning, I have found a Key that has unlocked the mysteries we all long to look into and understand. The Key has become, for me, the key to self improvement and empowerment. It has given me the skill of a source-ist, the sight of a Seer, and the Power of a Prophet. And if you can receive it, the Key has opened the door to the next plane of existence, the place where the Creator intended for us in this life. This is a confession, not a boast.
This has set me apart from the majority who do not know of this Key to Life. It places me on a solitary path that occasionally brings me into contact with like minded individuals.
So close to it are so many, yet the key is rejected by most of them because they usually only hear a distorted blathering when the key gets mentioned in a “religious” context. No wonder, really. The Key will kill you. Not physically, of course, but literally and spiritually. And no one wants to die. On the contrary we usually go kicking and screaming and clinging to life to the last.
But at the same time, once so slain, the Key will lift you up to a new life, and a new plane of existence where all of man’s problems become clear and the answers to it all are obvious to you.
And the Key is so simple and yet so profound:
Love is all Give. … Lust is all Get.
(Please do not confuse this definition with what people usually refer to as love. The desire to get love is not love itself. What is usually referred to in romantic writings and portrayals as love falls far short of this definition and is really desire which is self wanting to fill the hole within.
Love is an outgoing concern for the welfare of others.
Lust is an inward concern for wants of self.
Love is like a cornucopia of all good gifts.
Lust is like an all consuming vortex.
The Spirit, Attitude, Character, and Personality that is defined by the word Love has life in abundance.
The spirit, attitude, character and personality defined by the word Lust, is a most miserable creature due to the world it creates for itself.
Therefore I, in truth, worship Love. I emulate Love. I want to be Love. My God is Love.
You can’t make a religion of that. Man’s religions are mostly just group control mechanisms anyway.
True religion is the Chivalric Way of going to the aid of orphans and widows. Seeing right done to the downtrodden and needy. Ridding them out of the hand of the wicked.
Love speaks to every problem man faces and shows the way to solution.
Marriage between a man and a woman becomes a 100/100 proposition wherein each is only concerned with giving 100% to the other.
In a 50/50 relationship each is actually more concerned with getting their full share from the other and less concerned in giving their reluctant half.
All good springs from Love.
All evil stems from the way of Lust.
This definition of Love is a flashlight that reveals the motives of men.
A word spoken by Love is like the word of the Prophet with the power to crush like a hammer and strike like lightning or lift up like the hands of angels and protect like their covering wings. How is this so? It is so because Love seeks out the true best interests of all involved. Love looks into the spirit and sees and recognizes the cause of evil and with knowledge speaks a very pointed word of wisdom or speaks even louder with actions to remedy the cause and counteract the evil exposed.
The evil must not be allowed to live. It must be stoned to death. You must not allow evil to exist in your midst. … To the natural mind this means picking up rocks and throwing them at someone accused of evil in order to slaughter them body and soul. Love’s correct interpretation is to cast precious stones that are gems of wisdom that apply to the matter at hand until the person is slain in their spirit, and broken hearted and ready for the newness of the Way of Love.
Love is a sword in the hand of a true knight.
For this reason my motto is ever … “Love is all Give.”
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